单选题
Individualism
The most important thing to understand about Americans is probably their
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to "individualism". They have been trained
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very early in their lives to consider themselves as
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individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies. They have not been trained to treat themselves as members of a tightly
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family, religious group, nation, or any other
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.
You can see individualism in the way Americans treat their children. Even very young children are given
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to make their own choices and express their opinions. A parent will ask a one-year-old child what color balloon she wants, which candy bar she would
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, or
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she wants to sit next to mommy or daddy. The child"s preference will normally be accommodated.
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this practice, Americans come to consider themselves as separate human beings who have their own opinions and who make their own decisions.
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, some American child-rearing magazines state that the parents"
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in raising a child is to
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a responsible, self-reliant individual who, by the age of 18 or so, is ready to
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of the parents" house and make his or her own way in life. Americans
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the advice very seriously, so that a person
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the age of about 20 who is still living at home with his or her parents may be thought of as being unable to lead a normal, independent life.